USC basketball has promising pieces for 2026-27 and beyond

The first thing Eric Musselman said after a recent defeat reflected where his mind had gone late in a lost season.

“You know, we have two McDonald’s All-Americans coming in next year,” the USC basketball coach said last week in his opening remarks to reporters.

The arrival of 7-foot identical twins Adonis and Darius Ratliff will provide two massive building blocks as Musselman commences a third consecutive roster rebuild in the wake of the Trojans’ season-ending loss to Washington in the Big Ten Tournament.

In each of his first two seasons, amid the constant churn that has become college basketball, Musselman had one returning scholarship player.

He could have at least a handful in Year 3, though like every other coach, he’ll have to re-recruit his own players — or at least the ones he wants to keep after the Trojans finished 18-14 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many years under Musselman.

At the top of that list would presumably be guards Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas as well as forward Jacob Cofie.

Rice’s arrival last spring as a highly coveted transfer from Maryland was supposed to herald the start of an exciting new era for USC basketball. But he suffered a shoulder injury six games into the season and never returned.

Arenas didn’t make his season debut until late January after recovering from a knee injury. The freshman showed glimpses of his tantalizing talent as a smooth scorer but also could be turnover-prone and unreliable in critical situations. Musselman played him just the final eight seconds in overtime against the Huskies.

Did Arenas reflect the upside worthy of a first-round NBA draft pick? He’ll undoubtedly huddle with father Gilbert, the former three-time NBA All-Star, to decide his future in the coming weeks.

In his first season since transferring from Virginia, Cofie was a reliable frontcourt presence who started every game and led the team by averaging 6.8 rebounds. He would seem to be an obvious take as a returner if he wanted to come back.

Others with remaining eligibility include center Gabe Dynes and guards Jordan Marsh, Amarion Dickerson and Jerry Easter II. The good news for Musselman is that it appears he’ll have at least a few familiar faces around next season.

Always the salesman, Musselman touted progress this season even with significant injuries to Rice, Arenas, Dickerson and Chad Baker-Mazara before the coach dismissed Baker-Mazara in a stunning late-season move.

Musselman pointed to being in NCAA Tournament contention until the last week or so, an improved record after going 17-18 in his first season and the arrival of the Ratliff twins as signs of improvement.

“The two five-stars,” Musselman said, referring to their high school ratings, “we had one come in this year (in Alijah Arenas) and now we have two, that changes significantly the future of the program.”

Musselman has hailed Adonis Ratliff as “positionless” despite his size and said both 7-foot freshmen could play on the perimeter as well as under the basket. But an important caveat with big men is that even the best ones often take longer to develop, meaning that perhaps expectations should be tempered for their first college season.

Assessing his needs for a transfer portal that opens April 7, Musselman said he would prioritize competitiveness, toughness and durability after back-to-back seasons derailed by injuries.

He also made it clear that he didn’t want to turn over the roster every season and was still trying to add high school players for the Class of 2026.

“I don’t think we’re necessarily moving to the portal,” Musselman said of his recruiting approach. “When I say I’ve got to do some stuff tonight even, it’s high school guys because the portal doesn’t even open until (next month). We want a blend of both.

“It’s early in our tenure or whatever, and we’ve got to figure out a way to get better than what we’ve done the last two years.”

At least now, another disappointing season over, Musselman can fully focus on the future.

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